DRAFT Early Learning Plan

8/14/2019 DRAFT Early Learning Plan

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Plan for the Washington Early Learning System,2010 2020

DRAFTDecember 1, 2009


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This draft plan is available online athttp://www.del.wa.gov/partnerships/elac/elp.aspx

To offer comments: Use the input form online athttp://www.del.wa.gov/partnerships/elac/elp.aspx By e-mail:[email protected] By mail to: Washington State Dept. of Early Learning

Attn: CommunicationsP.O. Box 40970Olympia, WA 98504-0970

By fax to: 360.725.4395

Comments are due by March 15, 2010 for the final plan.
http://www.del.wa.gov/partnerships/elac/elp.aspxhttp://www.del.wa.gov/partnerships/elac/elp.aspxhttp://www.del.wa.gov/partnerships/elac/elp.aspxhttp://www.del.wa.gov/partnerships/elac/elp.aspxhttp://www.del.wa.gov/partnerships/elac/elp.aspxhttp://www.del.wa.gov/partnerships/elac/elp.aspxmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.del.wa.gov/partnerships/elac/elp.aspxhttp://www.del.wa.gov/partnerships/elac/elp.aspx


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AcknowledgementsThe following individuals and organizations made significant contributions of time and talent todeveloping this plan. In addition, approximately 1,000 individuals and groups commented on early piecesthat helped shape the content of the December 1, 2009, Draft Early Learning Plan, and approximately ___

commented on the draft plan, which shaped the Final Early Learning Plan. The sponsors thank them allfor their time, ideas and assistance.

SponsorsWashington State Department of Early LearningThrive by Five WashingtonOffice of the Superintendent of Public Instruction

Early Learning Advisory Committee (ELAC)

Co-Chair - Lorena Lowell (Bambinos International Learning Center), Co-Chair - Jada Rupley (Educational ServiceDistrict 112)

Nina Auerbach (Thrive by Five Washington), Peter Berliner (Philanthropy Northwest), Ann Daley (HigherEducation Coordinating Board), Susan Dreyfus (Department of Social and Health Services), Charles Earl (State

Board for Community & Technical Colleges), Leslie Goldstein (Governors Executive Policy Office),Representative Roger Goodman (Washington State House of Representatives), Representative Larry Haler(Washington State House of Representatives), Amber Havens (Educational Training Partners), Maxine Hayes(Department of Health), Robin Higa (Parent Volunteer/Strengthening Families Washington), Bette Hyde(Department of Early Learning), Senator Claudia Kauffman (Washington State Senate), Senator Curtis King(Washington State Senate), Todd McNerney (Parent), Ilene Schwartz (Children with Disabilities), Mary Seaton(Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction), James Skucy (Benton Franklin Head Start), Paula Smith(University Child Development School), Maria Vera (Parent and Early Learning Consultant), Sue Winn (FamilyChild Care Provider), Marie Zackuse (Tulalip Tribes of Washington)

Early Learning Plan Steering Committee

Co-Chair - Lorena Lowell (Bambinos International Learning Center), Co-Chair - Jada Rupley (Educational ServiceDistrict 112)

Nina Auerbach (Thrive by Five Washington), Bonnie Beukema (League of Education Voters), Kelli Bohanon(Department of Early Learning), Elizabeth Bonbright-Thompson (Washington State Child Care Resource & ReferralNetwork), Sarah Borgida (Foundation for Early Learning), Molly Boyajian (Thrive by Five Washington), AgdaBurchard (Washington Association for the Education of Young Children), Sheila Capestany (Open Arms PerinatalServices), Kathy Chapman (Department of Health, Office of Maternal and Child Health), Leslie Dozono (Children'sAlliance), Sangree Froelicher (Department of Early Learning), Lorrie Grevstad (Department of Health, Office ofMaternal and Child Health), Jodi Haavig (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation), Erica Hallock (United Ways ofWashington), Rebecca Heinrich (Department of Health, Project LAUNCH), Tory Henderson (Department of Health,Office of Maternal and Child Health), Robin Higa (Parent Volunteer/Strengthening Families Washington), KurstenHolabird (Service Employees International Union Local 925), Bette Hyde (Department of Early Learning), HelenJones (Early Learning Consultant), Bea Kelleigh (City of Seattle), Kasey Langley (Organizational ResearchServices), Barbara Lantz (Department of Social and Health Services Medicaid), Michael Luque (Department ofSocial and Health Services - Children's Administration), Margy Miller (Ready Children Consulting), Erin Okuno

(Foundation for Early Learning and Early Learning Public Library Partnership), Karen Rose (Skagit ValleyYMCA), Joel Ryan (Washington Head Start Association), Mary Seaton (Office of the Superintendent of PublicInstruction), Jill Sells (Reach Out and Read Washington), Joan Sharp (Council for Children and Families), KathyThamm (Community-Minded Enterprises), Maria Vera (Early Learning Consultant), Karen Walker (Department ofSocial and Health Services ITEIP)


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Child Health and Development Work Group

Chair Jill Sells (Reach Out and Read Washington)

Joseli Alves-Dunkerson (Department of Health, Office of Maternal and Child Health), Debra Appleton (Office ofthe Superintendent of Public Instruction), Susan Atkins (Washington State P2P Programs), Janna Bardi (Departmentof Health, Office of Maternal and Child Health), Linda Barnhart (Department of Health, Office of Maternal andChild Health), Pam Baumgartner (Childrens Home Society of Washington), Kathy Blodgett (Department of Social

and Health Services - Infant Toddler Early Intervention Program), Phyllis Cavens (Child and Adolescent Clinic andCowlitz-Wahkiakum Child Psychiatry Coalition), Kathy Chapman (Department of Health, Office of Maternal andChild Health), Allison Cusick (Washington Dental Service Foundation), Leena Der Yuen (American Academy ofPediatrics, Washington Chapter), Denise Farrand (CHILD Profile, Public Health Seattle & King County), CathyFranklin (Washington State WIC Program; Department of Health), Danette Glassy (American Academy ofPediatrics, Child Care Contact), Lorrie Grevstad (Department of Health, Office of Maternal and Child Health), EricaHallock (United Ways of Washington), Beth Harvey (Pediatric Associates and Washington Chapter, AmericanAcademy of Pediatrics), Maxine Hayes (Department of Health), Patty Hayes (WithinReach), Rebecca Heinrich(Department of Health, Project LAUNCH), Sheri L. Hill, Ph.D. (Early Learning Policy Consultant), Deanna Houck(King County, Child Care Health Program), Beverly Jacobson (Consultant), Barbara Lantz (Department of Socialand Health Services Medicaid), Tara Lee (Washington Dental Service Foundation), Diane Liebe (Yakima ValleyFarmworkers Clinic), MaryAnne Lindeblad (Department of Social and Health Services HRSA), Diana Lindner(Commission on Hispanic Affairs), Laurie Lippold (Children's Home Society), Martin Maimon (Multicare), Carol

Miller (Department of Health, Office of Maternal and Child Health), Margy Miller (Ready Children Consulting),Lan Nguyen (Children's Alliance), Erin Okuno (Foundation for Early Learning and Early Learning Public LibraryPartnership), Kate Orville (University of Washington, Medical Home Leadership Network), Riley Peters(Department of Health, Office of Maternal and Child Health), Page Pless (Reach Out and Read Washington), LisaPodell (Public Health - Seattle and King County), Lelach Rave (Seattle Children's Hospital), Kathee Richter(Neighborhood House), Michele Roberts (Department of Health, Office of Maternal and Child Health), LenoreRubin (Public Health - Seattle & King County), Jennifer Sass-Walton (Skagit County Health Department, Child &Family Health), Lois Schipper (King County, Parent/Child Health), Katherine TeKolste (University of WashingtonCenter on Human Development and Disability), Michelle Terry (Seattle Children's Hospital), Maria Vera (EarlyLearning Consultant), Karen Walker (Department of Social and Health Services ITEIP), Gail Weaver (YakimaValley Memorial Hospital), Mary Ann Woodruff (Pediatrics Northwest, P.S.), Vickie Ybarra (Yakima ValleyFarmworkers Clinic), Sam Zinner (University of Washington, Genetics and Developmental Medicine)

Community Engagement Work Group

Chair Leslie Dozono (Children's Alliance)

Nina Auerbach (Thrive by Five Washington), Alaric Bien (Chinese Information Service Center), BrendaBlasingame (Thrive by Five Washington), Sarah Borgida (Foundation for Early Learning), Samantha Bowen (WallaWalla Valley Early Learning Coalition), Molly Boyajian (Thrive by Five Washington), Lexi Catlin (EducationalService District 105), Janice Deguchi (Denise Louie Education Center), Theresa Fujiwara (White CenterCommunity Development Association), Karen Howell-Clark (United Way of King County), Yesenia Hunter (Cityof Seattle), Bette Hyde (Department of Early Learning), Cynthia Juarez (Ready By Five), Bea Kelleigh (City ofSeattle), Kasey Langley (Organizational Research Services), Elaine Larson (Department of Early Learning), ShellyMacy (Northwest Indian College), Margy Miller (Ready Children Consulting), David Okimoto (United Way ofKing County), Erin Okuno (Foundation for Early Learning and Early Learning Public Library Partnership), LorraineOlsen (Olympic Educational Service District 114), Sally Pritchard (Spokane County United Way), Kathee Richter(Neighborhood House), Mary Seaton (Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction), Paula Steinke (Child Care

Resources), Debra Sullivan (Praxis Institute for Early Childhood Education), Gloria Trinidad (Department of EarlyLearning), Alan Walker (United Way of Chelan and Douglas Counties), Jodi Wall (Educational Service District112), Kevin Washington (Tabor 100), Sarah Weir (White Center Community Development Association)

Early Care and Education Work Group

Chair Elizabeth Bonbright-Thompson (Washington State Child Care Resource & Referral Network)

Michelle Andreas (State Board of Community and Technical Colleges), Bonnie Beukema (League of EducationVoters), Molly Boyajian (Thrive by Five Washington), Agda Burchard (WAEYC), Bob Butts (Office of theSuperintendent of Public Instruction), Leslie Dozono (Children's Alliance), Cathy Garland (Children's Home Society


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of Washington), Danette Glassy (American Academy of Pediatrics, Child Care Contact), Erica Hallock (UnitedWays of Washington), Debbie Ham (SELF Initiative, Clark County), Sheri Hill (Early Learning Policy Consultant),Kursten Holabird (Service Employees International Union Local 925), Cynthia Juarez (Ready By Five), BeaKelleigh (City of Seattle), Joyce Kilmer (Department of Early Learning), Lorena Lowell (Bambinos InternationalLearning Center), Michael Luque (Department of Social and Health Services - Children's Administration), MartinMaimon (Multicare), Lauren Platt (Children's Alliance), Deeann Puffert (Child Care Resources), Karen Rose (SkagitValley YMCA), Joel Ryan (Washington Head Start Association), Mary Seaton (Office of the Superintendent ofPublic Instruction), Joan Sharp (Council for Children and Families), Paula Steinke (Child Care Resources), GloriaTrinidad (Department of Early Learning), Sue Winn (Family Child Care Provider), Kathy Zeisel (Parent Trust forWashington Children)

Parent and Community Partnerships Work Group

Co-Chair Sarah Borgida (Foundation for Early Learning), Co-Chair Helen Jones (Early Learning Consultant)

Kylee Allen (WSA Parent Ambassador), Randi J. Anderson, M.A. (Community Advocate), Kerry Beymer (KingCounty Kinship Collaboration), Alaric Bien (Chinese Information and Service Center), Brenda Blasingame (Thriveby Five Washington), Molly Boyajian (Thrive by Five Washington), Susie Burdick (Hearing, Speech, and DeafnessCenter), Leslie Dozono (Children's Alliance), Sarah Francis (Momsrising), Laura Giddings (Washington State ChildCare Resource & Referral Network), Fatima Gonzalaz (Parent Volunteer/Strengthening Families Washington), EricaHallock (United Ways of Washington), Robin Higa (Parent Volunteer/ Strengthening Families Washington), Sheri

Hill (Early Learning Consultant), Yaffa Maritz (Listening Mothers), Larry Nichols (GLBT parent representative),Erin Okuno (Foundation for Early Learning and Early Learning Public Library Partnership), Frank Ordway (Leagueof Education Voters), Kimberley Pualani (Parent), Tracy Sarich (Childrens Trust Foundation), Joan Sharp (Councilfor Children and Families), Ray Soriano (Skagit/Island Head Start), Julie Soto (Community College ParentEducation), Paula Steinke (Child Care Resources), Betty Taylor (Family Advocate - Special Needs), Maria Vera(WashingtonCourts Certified English/Spanish Interpreter), Sue Winn (Family Child Care Provider)

Social, Emotional and Mental Health Work Group

Co-Chair Tory Henderson (Department of Health, Office of Maternal and Child Health), Co-Chair NancyVernon (Department of Early Learning)

Sheila Ammons (Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction), Debra Appleton (Office of the Superintendentof Public Instruction), Brenda Blasingame (Thrive by Five Washington), Kathy Blodgett (Department of Social andHealth Services, Infant Toddler Early Intervention Program), Kathy Chapman (Department of Health, Office of

Maternal and Child Health), Teresa Cooper (Department of Health, Office of Maternal and Child Health), AnnieCubberly (Child Care Action Council), Margaret Defeyter Biggs (Washington State Montessori Council), ColleenDillon (University of Washington, Center on Infant Mental Health and Development), Nancy Gagliano (Council forChildren and Families), Lorrie Grevstad (Department of Health, Office of Maternal and Child Health), SherylHarmer (SLPH & Associates, Washington Social Emotional Learning Alliance), Rebecca Heinrich (Department ofHealth, Project LAUNCH), Ron Hertel (Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction), Danielle Hill(Enterprise for Progress in the Community, Head Start/Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program), SheriHill (Early Childhood Policy Consultant), Chris Jamieson (Council for Children and Families), Jean Kelly(University of Washington, Center on Infant Mental Health and Development), Gail Longo (Maria MontessoriLanguage and Cultural Center, Ballard High School), Michael Luque (Department of Social and Health Services,Children's Administration), Bracken Marren (Opportunity Council), John Naegele (Children's Home Society ofWashington, Early Head Start), Wilanne Ollila-Perry (Opportunity Council), Becky Peters (Department of Health,Office of Maternal and Child Health), Lauren Platt (Children's Alliance), Lenore Rubin (Public Health - Seattle &

King County), Jill Sells (Reach Out and Read Washington), Joan Sharp (Council for Children and Families), SusanYang Affolter (Child Care Resource & Referral Network)

December 1st

Recommendations Drafting Team

Chair, Sangree Froelicher (Department of Early Learning)

Nina Auerbach (Thrive By Five Washington), Bonnie Beukema (League of Education Voters), Elizabeth Bonbright-Thompson (Washington State Child Care Resource & Referral Network), Sarah Borgida (Foundation for EarlyLearning), Bob Butts (Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction), Jeanne Dengate (Tulalip Tribes ChildCare Program), Leslie Dozono (Children's Alliance), Leslie Goldstein (Governor's Office), Jackie Haight (Tribal


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Leaders Congress on Education Subcommittee - TLC/Birth-8 Work Group, Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe EarlyChildhood Education Program), Erica Hallock (United Ways of Washington), Bob Hamilton (Department of EarlyLearning), Tory Henderson (Department of Health, Office of Maternal and Child Health), Bette Hyde (Departmentof Early Learning), Erin Jones (Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction - Center for the Improvement ofStudent Learning), Helen Jones (Early Learning Consultant), Lorena Lowell (Bambinos International LearningCenter), Paola Maranan (Children's Alliance), Paula Quinn (Association of Washington School Principals), JadaRupley (Educational Service District 112), Mary Seaton (Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction), JillSells (Reach Out and Read Washington), Elaine Vonrosenstiel (Consultant)

Achievement Gap Working Group

Mona Bailey, Roger Barron, Uriel Iniguez, Thelma Jackson, Chris Katayama, Ben Kodama, Ricardo Sanchez, DonWoodcock

Management Team

Nina Auerbach (Thrive by Five Washington), Kelli Bohanon (Department of Early Learning), Molly Boyajian(Thrive by Five Washington), Bob Butts (Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction), Sangree Froelicher(Department of Early Learning), Lorrie Grevstad (Department of Health, Office of Maternal and Child Health),Bette Hyde (Department of Early Learning), Lorena Lowell (Bambinos International Learning Center), KarenPonder (BUILD Initiative), Jada Rupley (Educational Service District 112), Mary Seaton (Office of the

Superintendent of Public Instruction), Gerrit Westervelt (BUILD Initiative)

Technical Assistance

BUILD Initiative: Karen Ponder and Gerrit Westervelt

Consultants

Cedar River Group John Howell and Rhonda PetersonDovetailing Garrison KurtzKristin Wiggins Consulting Kristin WigginsOrganizational Research Services Kasey Langley, MPP, and Emilee Quinn, MPH

Key Resource Documents

2008 Studies on the Achievement Gap: African American, Asian American, Latino Students, Native Americans.

Pacific Islanders, Seehttp://www.k12.wa.us/AchievementGap/Studies.aspxKids Matter Framework, 2005. Seehttp://www.earlylearning.org/resources/publications/kids-matterWashington Learns Final Report, 2006. Seehttp://www.washingtonlearns.wa.gov/ourwork.htm
http://www.k12.wa.us/AchievementGap/Studies.aspxhttp://www.k12.wa.us/AchievementGap/Studies.aspxhttp://www.k12.wa.us/AchievementGap/Studies.aspxhttp://www.earlylearning.org/resources/publications/kids-matterhttp://www.earlylearning.org/resources/publications/kids-matterhttp://www.earlylearning.org/resources/publications/kids-matterhttp://www.washingtonlearns.wa.gov/ourwork.htmhttp://www.washingtonlearns.wa.gov/ourwork.htmhttp://www.washingtonlearns.wa.gov/ourwork.htmhttp://www.washingtonlearns.wa.gov/ourwork.htmhttp://www.earlylearning.org/resources/publications/kids-matterhttp://www.k12.wa.us/AchievementGap/Studies.aspx


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ContentsExecutive Summary................................................................................................................................. 1

Section I. Need for an Early Learning Plan .................................................................................... 11

A. Purpose ......................................................................................................................... 11B. Events Leading to this Plan ....................................................................................... 11

C. Context: Three Important Developments................................................................. 121. Social Changes ........................................................................................................... 12

2. New Understandings from Research .......................................................................... 13

3. The Preparation and Achievement Gaps .................................................................... 15

D. Brief Timeline of Early Learning in Washington...................................................... 16

E. Current Picture ............................................................................................................. 171. Children and Families................................................................................................. 17

2. Needs Expressed by Parents and Providers ................................................................ 20

3. Early Learning Settings and School ........................................................................... 214. School Readiness and Achievement ........................................................................... 24

5. Teacher Training and Professional Development ...................................................... 25

F. Need to Close the Preparation Gap and Prevent the Achievement Gap ........... 27

G. Cost of Inaction ............................................................................................................ 33

H. Need for a System of Early Learning ....................................................................... 34

I. Scope of this Plan........................................................................................................ 36

Section II. Foundations and Information Sources......................................................................... 37

Section III. Process for Developing the Plan .................................................................................. 42

Section IV. Washingtons Early Learning System ......................................................................... 46

A. Vision and Principles................................................................................................... 46Vision Statement ................................................................................................................... 46

Guiding Principles for Development of Washingtons Early Learning System................... 46

B. System Infrastructure A Ready State.................................................................... 491. Collaborative Governance, Planning, Cross-System and Sector Linkages and

Communication..................................................................................................................... 50

2. Quality Assurance: Standards, Assessment and Accountability....................................... 52

3. Financing........................................................................................................................... 52

4. Delivery of Services.......................................................................................................... 55

C. Connections and Partnerships Required ................................................................. 55

Section V. Outcomes and Strategies for Readiness and Early School Success .................. 57

A. Ready and Successful Children ................................................................................ 60Outcomes .............................................................................................................................. 60

Strategies............................................................................................................................... 60

B. Ready and Successful Parents, Families and Caregivers .................................... 75Outcomes .............................................................................................................................. 75

Strategies............................................................................................................................... 75


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C. Ready and Successful Early Learning Professionals ............................................ 84Outcomes .............................................................................................................................. 84

Strategies............................................................................................................................... 84

D. Ready and Successful Schools................................................................................. 89Outcomes .............................................................................................................................. 89

Strategies............................................................................................................................... 89E. Ready and Successful System and Communities ................................................. 94

Outcomes .............................................................................................................................. 94

Strategies............................................................................................................................... 94

F. Children, Families and Early Learning Professionals Who Benefit ..................... 991. Strategies for All, Some and Few ...................................................................................... 99

2. Strategies to Close the Preparation Gap ........................................................................ 100

G. Priorities and Phasing ............................................................................................... 101

Section VI. Recommendations to the Governor (December 1, 2009).................................... 103

Section VII. Evaluation....................................................................................................................... 103

A. Vital Signs The Potential of Washington Early Learning Indicators ............... 103

B. Realizing the Potential of the Washington Indicators .......................................... 104Data Resources.................................................................................................................... 104

Next Steps ........................................................................................................................... 105

C. Draft List of Indicators ............................................................................................... 106

Section VIII. Conclusions and Implementation ........................................................................... 107

Next Steps for Draft Plan ................................................................................................................... 108

A. Public Review............................................................................................................. 108

B. Issues To Be Address in Final Plan........................................................................ 108

Abbreviations........................................................................................................................................ 109

Glossary ................................................................................................................................................. 110

References ............................................................................................................................................. 113

Appendix (Separate document):

Appendix A. Letter from Governor Gregoire

Appendix B. Joint Resolution (DEL, Thrive by Five Washington and OSPI)

Appendix C. KIDS Matter Framework

Appendix D. Achievement Gap Reports Summary of Recommendations, 9/10/09

Appendix E. Criteria for Prioritizing ELP Strategies, 10/2/09

Appendix F. Revenue Options

Appendix G. Contributions of Flourishing Nonprofit Partnerships

Appendix H. Public Feedback on the Early Learning Plan


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List of Figures

Figure 1. Washington Children, Ages 0 9 Years, 1970 to 2030 projected ................................ 17

Figure 2. Race/Ethnicity of Washington Children, Ages 0 9 Years, 2000 to 2030 projected ... 18

Figure 3. Head Start and ECEAP Slots Available, and Children Unserved ................................. 23

Figure 4. Third Grade WASL Scores, 2006 - 2009 ...................................................................... 25Figure 5. Structure for Developing the Early Learning Plan and Recommendations to theGovernor ....................................................................................................................................... 44

Figure 6. Washington Early Learning Plan Overview .................................................................. 48

Figure 7. Outcomes and Strategies ............................................................................................... 59

List of Tables

Table 1. Washington Early Learning Facilities with National Accreditation, 2007 ................................... 26

Table 2. Cost Savings from High-Quality Preschool for Low-Income Children........................................ 33

Table 3. Washington Learns Early Learning Strategies and Current Status .............................................. 37Table 4. A Tiered Approach to Financing .................................................................................................. 54

Table 5. Strategies by All, Some, Few ........................................................................................................ 99

Table 6. Strategies that Work to Close the Preparation Gap ..................................................................... 100

Table 7. Strategies by Implementation Timing ......................................................................................... 101

Table 8. Proposed Indicators ..................................................................................................................... 106


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children, parents, families, providers and teachers, those available tosome who may need extrasupport, and those available tofew for whom special programs are needed.

It is hoped that these recommendations will provide guidance and direction for priority setting,staffing and budget decisions, advocacy agendas and partnership opportunities during the next

decade. This document also includes recommendations to the Governor on a set of policyinitiatives and strategic steps to begin the implementation of this plan.

Historical and Social Context for this PlanSeveral important developments in the past 30 years influence the need for a comprehensiveearly learning plan: changes in family life, demographic changes, advances in scientificunderstanding about childrens early learning and development, and a growing awareness of agap for some children in preparation for success in school.

The 1970s saw the start of a trend of women entering the work force and continuing their careerseven after they became mothers. In 1975, when the U.S. census started tracking the number of

working mothers, 47 percent of mothers with children under the age of 18 were in the laborforce. Today, their labor force participation has risen to 71 percent (Galinsky, Aumann & Bond,2009, pp. 4-5). Two-wage-earner families and single, working mothers have become the norm.This trend of working parents has led to an increased need for child care and after-schoolprograms for young children.

Washingtons population also is becoming more diverse. In 2000, all people of color representedone in five people in Washington. By 2030, one in three residents will be a person of color. Newbirths and immigration of young adults play a large part in the growth of many racial and ethniccommunities. It is estimated that over 80 percent of the increase in the number of children (0 17 years) between 2000 and 2030 will be among children of color (Office of FinancialManagement, 2006). The majority of immigrants to our state are young adults in their child-bearing years.

With advances in imaging and scanning technologies, a great deal has been learned about thedevelopment of a childs brain. A major report from the National Research Council in 2000,From Neurons to Neighborhoods, summarized current scientific understanding of earlychildhood development. The report concluded that development of the brain is the most intensefrom birth to age 3 years. The brain builds itself in response to the childs experiences. Braincircuits that the child uses in daily life are strengthened. Those that the child doesnt use fadeaway. Research also found that the nurturing a child receives and responsive relationships withparents and caregivers help to build the childs brain structure.

Researchers have also identified the factors that put young childrens well-being and learning atrisk. The key risk factors are: poverty or low income; disparities because of race, ethnicity orlanguage; the education level of their parents, particularly their mother; having under- orunemployed parents; and living in a single-parent household. Children with these risk factorsstart showing poor outcomes as early as 9 months of age. By 24 months, the gap is wideningbetween children with these risk factors and children who dont face these risks.


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These disparities show up across the board in childrens developmentin cognition, socialskills, behavior and health. Researchers have found that children with several risk factors are lesslikely to be ready for kindergarten than their peers. Children who are not ready for kindergartenoften have trouble succeeding in school. This gap in preparation leads to a gap in achievement inschool. Compounding the challenge from the risk factors in a childs circumstances, many

children and families in communities of color in our state bear the brunt of the tremendousvariation in the quality of early care and preschool services availableif they can get access toearly learning programs at all.

Current Profile of Children, Families and the Early Learning CommunityChildren.Children aged 0 to 9 years old now number 859,727 in Washington. The state projectsthat by 2030 there will be 1.06 million children ages 0 to 9 years. Sixty-two (62) percent ofchildren in our state under age five are white, and 38 percent are children of color. Sixty-five(65) percent of children in the K-12 public schools are white, and 35 percent are children ofcolor.

Families and Poverty. Unmarried mothers in our state now account for 33 percent of all births.One-third of all single mothers with children under age 18 live below poverty, as compared tothe overall statewide poverty rate of 11 percent. Eighteen percent of children under 18 years livein households receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI), cash public assistance income orfood stamps (U.S. Census, 2008).

Health. The rate of infant mortality (children who died before reaching their first birthday) is 5.1per 1,000 live births (3-year average for 2004-06). Just over 6 percent of babies born each yearhave low birth weight. Low birth weight is associated with a variety of later health problems.State data indicate that 14 percent of all children have special health care needs. The threeleading diagnostic categories among children served in the states special health care needsprogram are: developmental delay and mental retardation, congenital anomalies and perinatalconditions. The state Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) estimates that up to75,000 Washington children are uninsured, even though many of them are eligible for the statehealth insurance programApple Health for Kids.

Early Learning Settings and Schools. There are 7,449 licensed and 95 exempt (mainly schoolage care) early learning facilities in Washington. These providers serve approximately 174,000children. There are an estimated 35,000 child care providers and early learning teachers whowork with children in these facilities. Licensed care includes centers, preschools and nurseryschools, along with family child care, where a caregiver serves a small group of children inthat caregivers home. In addition, many parents choose to put their children in the care ofpeople they know and trust who are not licensed caregivers. This care option is called family,friend and neighbor (FFN) care.

In 2006, 250,000 children were enrolled in first, second and third grades in public and privateschools. There are 1,307 elementary schools with kindergarten classes in the state, with 80,613children enrolled in public and private kindergartens. The number of school-age children hasremained fairly stable since 1999. However, the state forecasts a wave of enrollment increases


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beginning in 2011, as the grandchildren of baby boomers reach school age (Office of FinancialManagement, 2005; SRI International, 2008).

For children younger than 6 years, half are cared for by a parent or guardian on a regular basis.Thirty (30) percent are cared for in licensed center-based care, and 15 percent are cared for by

family, friends and neighbors.

Needs Expressed by Parents and Providers. Recent statewide surveys found that 80 percent ofparents would like information on activities, events and places in the community designed forfamilies. Approximately two-thirds of parents surveyed would like information about ways tosupport childrens early reading and school readiness skills, ways to help childrens social-emotional development, and how to use positive discipline. More than half of the parents wantinformation on ways to keep children healthy and to support childrens overall development. Thesurveys also found that there is no one source of information on early learning that all parentstrust and want to use.

A survey that included providers found that parents and providers recognize the importance ofearly learning, but are not as clear on the importance to learning of the birth to age 2 yearsperiod. Many providers are uncertain about the activities they should be doing with infants andyounger children to prepare them for school.

School Readiness and Achievement. There is currently no common measure nor commonagreement in Washington for childrens kindergarten readiness. The best estimate available isfrom a 2004 statewide survey of kindergarten teachers. The teachers reported that less than half(44 percent) of children are ready when they enter kindergarten (OSPI, 2005).

By the time children finish third grade, they need to have formed the learning skills they willneed to put to use for the rest of their school years. Therefore, their scores on the statewideWashington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) test indicate not only how well their earlylearning has prepared them, but their likelihood of succeeding in their school career. In 2008-09,71 percent of third graders met or exceeded the standard for reading, and 66 percent met orexceeded the standard for math. But that means that more than a quarter of students are notreading at third grade level, and more than a third are not able to do third grade math.

Teacher Training and Professional Development. The State Department of Early Learning(DEL) oversees licensing of child care/early learning providers. A child care center operatorneeds to have education or professional experience in child development, and either a ChildDevelopment Associate (CDA) certificate or at least 10 college quarter credits in early childhoodeducation or child development. A center lead teacher needs a high school diploma and somechild development education or work experience. A family home provider needs a CDA or atleast 12 college quarter credits in early childhood education/development. Center directors, leadteachers and family home providers need to complete 20 hours of training listed in the StateTraining and Registry System (STARS) within the first six months of becoming an operator/teacher.


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The Office of Superintendent for Public Instruction (OSPI) oversees certification of K-12teachers. Kindergarten and primary grade teachers in public schools need a state certification inK-8 (elementary education) and a college degree or to have completed a state-approved teacherpreparation program or equivalent. It is common for elementary teachers to have had only onecourse in child development. There is a P-3 (early childhood) endorsement that tests teachers

knowledge for teaching kindergarten through third grade students, but gaining this is voluntary.

Need to Close the Preparation Gap and Achievement GapMany children arrive at kindergarten without the knowledge, skills and good health they need tosucceed in school (the preparation gap). As mentioned earlier, a 2004 survey of Washingtonkindergarten teachers reported that less than half (44 percent) of children are ready when theyenter kindergarten. More startling, the teachers reported that among low-income children, onlyone out of four is ready on the first day of kindergarten (OSPI, 2005). This serious gap forchildren from large segments of society is also seen in the disparities in achievement in laterschool years (the achievement gap). In other words, the gap in childrens preparation forkindergarten often becomes a gap in achievement between the less prepared students and their

peers as they move through school.

Washington academic achievement data once children start school also reflect a pattern ofinequity across racial and ethnic groups. This inequity includes lower performance on math,reading and writing standardized tests, as well as lower graduation rates and higher rates of high-school drop-out for children of color. There is a gap between whites and other racial/ethnicgroups in most subjects and grades, and considerably lower graduation rates for some groups.

High-quality early learning experiences have the proven potential to provide all children with asolid foundation for success and to change the course of the cycle of inequity (Hanover ResearchCouncil, 2009). That potential is currently unrealized. The current inequities in young childrenslearning opportunities instead are likely to continue the cycle of disparities (Kagan, 2009).

The Need for a System of Early LearningEarly learning takes place in many placeshome, child care, preschool, kindergarten throughthird grade, libraries, faith organizations, parks, play groups and many other community settings.Early learning also is shaped by many peopleparents, guardians, grandparents, other relatives,child care providers, teachers, health care providers and a variety of caring adultsandprogramsincluding those of government agencies, nonprofits, private businesses, faith-relatedorganizations and community groups.

This variety offers choices for families according to their own values, culture and interests, andorganizations to offer programs they believe are important. However, when everything takesplace in separate silos, families have a harder time finding the services and information theywant. Resources can be wasted because of duplication of effort.

There have been a number of efforts to build bridges between existing programs, but the piecesare still disjointed. In a system each piece is independent. But each piece also interacts with theother pieces to form a stronger, unified whole. An early learning system is the various policies,programs and services for young children, and for the adults who care for and teach them. When


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these elements each work well andalign with the other elements, children will have the bestopportunity to reach their full potential.

Vision and PrinciplesThe first step in creating this plan was to craft a statement that describes a long-range vision for

the state early learning system, and the guiding principles, or values, that would shape the workin drafting this plan.

The following vision statement was drafted by those participating in the development of theplan:

In Washington, we work together so that all children start life with a solid foundation forsuccess, based on strong families and a world-class early learning system for all childrenprenatal through third grade. Accessible, accountable, and developmentally and culturallyappropriate, our system partners with families to ensure that every child is healthy,capable and confident in school and in life.

Guiding Principles:1. Be child-focused and family-centered. Promote meaningful partnerships with parents and

families, since they are childrens first teachers.

2. Promote alignment of early learning services and programs as a continuum that iscomprehensive, supports whole child development, and is available to all children.

3. Be flexible, culturally responsive, accessible, relevant and respectful, and reflect the needs oflocal communities and individual children.

4. Be developmentally appropriate and, where applicable, evidence based (as available), andaddress each stage of child development from prenatal through grade 3.

5. Build on strengthsof children, parents, families, providers, programs, communities andprior planning efforts, such as Kids Matter and Washington Learns.

6. Develop a tiered approach to addressing the early learning needs of all children in the state,identifying those strategies that apply to all, some and few children.

7. Provide supports, services and programs for at-risk children and families to close thepreparation gap.

8. Promote high-quality early learning to increase school readiness and success in school and inlife.

9. Include professional development and support for early learning and care providers.10.Promote transparency and accountability in all policies, services and programs.11.Provide ways to measure progress over time.12.Identify funding sources and promote adequate financing of the system.13.Provide for meaningful stakeholder review and comment on the Washington State Early

Learning Plan as it is being developed and on the systems performance over time.

Outcomes and StrategiesThe outcomes and strategies in this section were developed by four work groups. Each workgroup focused on one subject area in the Kids Matter framework: Child Health andDevelopment; Early Care and Education; Family and Community Partnerships; and Social,Emotional and Mental Health. (See Appendix C for the Kids Matter Framework chart.) Eachgroup developed a list of outcome statements to describe what the system of early learning


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should be trying to achieve. They also developed more detailed strategies, comprising specificideas for accomplishing those outcomes. What follows is a list of the recommended outcomesand strategies. More detailed explanations are provided in the plan.

Ready and Successful Children:

List of OutcomesA. All children have optimal physical health, mental health, oral health and nutrition.B. Pregnant and postpartum women receive health, nutrition and support services to optimize

the pregnancy and the health of their newborns.C. All children have developmentally appropriate social-emotional, language, literacy, and

cognitive skills, and demonstrate positive mental health and well being.D. Families have access to high-quality early learning programs and services that are culturally

competent and affordable for those who choose them.E. All children enter kindergarten healthy and emotionally, socially and cognitively ready to

succeed in school and in life.List of Strategies

#1. Optimize Existing Nutrition in Pregnancy and EarlyChildhood Services and Programs #7 Add At Risk Children to Early InterventionServices (Part C)

#2. Ensure Insurance and Medical Home #8. Access to Mental Health Services DevelopAccess to Care Standards

#3. Improve Early Childhood Oral Health #9. Access to Mental Health Services IncreaseAvailability of Assessment, Diagnosis

#4. Build Continuum of Infants and Toddlers Servicesand Programs

#10. Increase Use of Early Literacy Services andPrograms

#5. Home Visiting Available to At-Risk Families #11. Expand and Enhance ECEAP

#6. Ensure Developmental Screening #12. Implement Voluntary, Universal Pre-kindergarten

Ready and Successful Parents, Families and Caregivers:

List of OutcomesF. Parents are their childrens first and most important teachers, and have the support they need

to help their children learn to learn in their first years of life.G. A comprehensive, culturally and language-appropriate information and referral system about

all aspects of child health, development and early learning is accessible to all pregnantwomen, parents, families and caregivers.

H. Parents, families and caregivers have the knowledge and skills needed, along with culturallyappropriate services and supports, to act and respond in ways that promote optimal childhealth, development and early learning.

I. Parent, family and caregiver voice shapes policies and systems.

List of Strategies#13. Create Statewide System of Access to Informationand Resources

#17. Support Strong Families Policies and Programs

#14. Provide More Parenting Learning Opportunities #18. Increase Screening for Maternal Mood Disorder

#15. Ensure Social-Emotional Learning Parents,Caregivers, Early Learning Professionals,and School Staff

#19. Identify and Support Parent Leadership

#16. Support Family, Friend and Neighbor (FFN) Care #20. Create Formal Pathways for Parent Participation


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Ready and Successful Early Learning Professionals:

List of OutcomesJ. All early learning professionals and teachers can demonstrate the competencies to provide

children birth through third grade with developmentally and culturally appropriate earlylearning experiences in healthy and safe environments.

K. All families have access to high-quality, affordable child care and early education programsstaffed by providers and teachers who are adequately trained and compensated.

L. A fully-developed Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) is established andmaintained so that early learning and school-age providers have the support and resourcesnecessary to improve the quality of their programs and environments, and so that familieshave the information they need to make the best early learning choices for their children.

List of Strategies#21. Enhance Licensing and Subsidy Policies #23. Implement Quality Rating and Improvement

System

#22. Implement Comprehensive ProfessionalDevelopment and Compensation System

#24. Provide Health, Mental Health and Social-Emotional Consultation in Early Learning Settings

Ready and Successful Schools:

List of OutcomesM.All children and families make smooth transitions among home, early learning settings and

school.N. All schools are ready for the children who attend, including preparing for their individual

gifts and needs, level of knowledge, skills, social-emotional and physical development, andtheir cultural background and language.

O. All students transition from third grade with the abilities to read well, to do basic math, andto actively participate in the learning environment.

List of Strategies#25. Ensure Continuum of Social-Emotional Learning Children

#28. Implement Phased-In Full-Day Kindergarten

#26. Align Prekindergarten and K-3 Instructional &Programmatic Practices

#29. Expand Compassionate Schools ReducingEffects of Complex Trauma

#27. Implement Kindergarten Assessment

Ready and Successful System and Communities:

List of OutcomesP. The early learning system in Washington uses evidence-based and/or demonstrated best

practices (as available) to support families in fostering childrens healthy development and

learning and build high-quality early learning programs for children birth through thirdgrade.Q. The early learning system in Washington works to close the preparation gap.R. The early learning system supports children with developmental disabilities and other special

needs, and their families, to optimize each childs health, development and educationaloutcomes.

S. Governance and accountability systems ensure progress toward achieving the vision for ahigh-quality, accessible, early learning system for all children in Washington.


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T. Communities support families and promote childrens learning and healthy development.U. The public understands the critical economic and social value of high-quality early learning

for every child from birth through third grade, and actively supports related policies andinvestments.

List of Strategies#30. Revise and Promote Use of Early Learning andDevelopment Benchmarks

#33. Build Statewide Infrastructure for Partnershipsand Mobilization

#31. Expand Registry for Early Learning Professionals #34. Strengthen Public Awareness and Commitment#32. Expand P-20 Longitudinal Data System

System InfrastructureSharon Lynn Kagan of Teachers College, Columbia University, states that: systems andinfrastructure are what make the pieces function, what enables investments to yield returns, andwhat glues together varied, cross-purposed efforts on behalf of young children and theirfamilies. Attending to early learning systems workdeveloping the infrastructure, resources,

and leadership necessary to create a coordinated system of services and supports to address themany needs of young children and their familiesis paramount to expanding and enhancing thequality of services.

Governance . There is no single authority or expert that can deliver the early learningsolution. Governance for early learning in Washington will have to be an organized structure thatis charged with certain responsibilities to achieve goals that require collaboration or integrationof activities across existing organizational entities that normally have separate lines of decision-making authority. A new term for this type of governance is Collaborative Governance, anemerging set of concepts and practices that offer prescriptions for inclusive, deliberative andoften consensus-oriented approaches to planning, problem solving and policymaking. This will

require the establishment of collaborative governance mechanisms at both the state andlocal/regional levels.

Public will and awareness are critical to providing access to quality early learning and must beincorporated into the governance structure. Local/regional needs, values and perspectives areimportant ingredients to creating a coherent early learning system that functions well forpolicymakers, administrators, and for the communities, families and children it impacts.Ensuring that people are engaged at all levels in conversation, coordinating systems, buildingcapacity and decision-making, will help to strengthen community leadership across Washington.

Quality Assurance. Citizens and policymakers want to be certain that their investments arepaying off in terms of childrens outcomes, overall readiness for school and success inkindergarten through third grade. As a result, accountability in early learning, though onlymandated nationally in elementary and secondary school, has become a new force in earlylearning. The recommendations to the Governor for implementation of this plan include:

Revise, per constituent feedback, and implement the Washington State Early Learning andDevelopment Benchmarks (common early learning standards);

Develop and implement a Kindergarten Assessment Process (a common metric formeasurement and reporting); and


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Fund the continued development of a seamless P-20 longitudinal data system (a commonrepository and process for data collection covering preschool through age 20).

Financing. Current funding sources for early learning (prenatal through third grade) areadministered in at least five different state agencies, and numerous federal agencies. Systems and

accountability for each funding source has created silos, which have resulted in fragmented earlychildhood/early learning services. This fragmentation makes coordination and collaborationacross agencies difficult and complicates statewide planning. It also misses the opportunity toensure that money being spent on young children and their families is set in a strategic directiontoward school readiness and early success in school, and childrens overall health and well being.

Public agencies using a unifying policy and funding framework, in partnership, could be asignificant part of the school readiness/early success in school coordination solution. Whilethere is currently no overarching school readiness framework guiding early childhood and earlylearning efforts at the cabinet agency level, there is a foundation and progress is being made. InAugust 2009 DEL, OSPI and Thrive by Five Washington signed the Joint Resolution,

formalizing a relationship between significant cross-sector partners. This plan can create aroadmap and collective mind about what it is Washington hopes to achieve for young childrenand their families, and how to get there.

The following actions are recommended:

A governance authority focused on financing that sets the strategic direction for funding,assesses results, and holds agencies and programs accountable;

Financing standards; A funding planning toolfor both public and private sector usethat can guide Washington

in planning and acting toward a more effective use of funds;

A technical assistance network for agencies, communities and programs on how to braid,

blend and orchestrate an optimized funding approach; Attending to early learning financing systems workdeveloping the infrastructure, resources

and leadership necessary to create a coordinated system of services and supportsisparamount to financing the expansion and enhancement of high-quality services; and

Creating an outcomes-based orientation to financinga focus on results, which drives bothfunders and programs to think more realistically about the connections between investmentsand outcomes.

EvaluationFinally, this document includes a number of indicators intended to provide a high-level overviewof the well-being and development of young children, and to serve as one tool for monitoring the

progress and implementation of the Early Learning Plan. The indicators are divided into twocategories: easily available and needing development.


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Section I.Need for an Early Learning Plan

A. Purpose

The purpose of this plan for an early learning system in Washington is to ensure that all childrenin our state start life with a solid foundation for success in school and in life. The plan is a guidefor the work of everyone who is involved with children from birth through third grade, so thatthe adults in childrens lives will be collaborating and aiming for unified goals.

This plan responds to a growing interest by everyone concerned with young children that theentire community makes early learning and school success a priority. Prior planning efforts havecalled for increased attention to early learning and improved coordination among all involved(see Section II, below). In recent years, elected officials and statewide panels have called for across-system approach to early learning.

There is growing understanding that for children to have the best opportunity for success inschool and in life, they must have a foundation of seamless learning during their earliest years,birth through third grade. Parents, families, caregivers, early learning professionals and schoolsmust work to build strong connections and link learning experiences across these critical years.Yet currently, most children experience a wide range of disparate experiences that jumbletogether and end up requiring our youngest learners to figure them out on their own(Foundation for Child Development, 2008). It is this jumble of experiences and the differentsilos that this plan aims to address.

B. Events Leading to this Plan

A number of actions, starting with three landmark events in 2006, have led to the creation of thisplan, as follows.

Washington Learns: The final report of this panel in 2006 proposed an education systemthat flows seamlessly from birth to adulthood.

Department of Early Learning (DEL): Governor Christine Gregoire formed DEL in2006 as a cabinet-level agency. Early learning programs and provider professionaldevelopment opportunities, which had been under several different state agencies, werenow unified in DEL. DEL also provides information and tools for parents.

Thrive by Five Washington: This public-private partnership was created in 2006 tomobilize public and private resources to advance the development and learning ofchildren birth through age five. Led by education, government and business leaders,Thrive communicates and champions the importance of early learning, identifies andsupports promising programs and practices around the state, and assists with building aneffective early learning system.

Charge to create an early learning plan: The legislature in 2007 charged DEL and itsEarly Learning Advisory Council (ELAC) with developing a statewide early learningplan that ensures school readiness for all children in Washington (RCW 43.215.090).


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All-day kindergarten: Also in 2007, the legislature expanded funding for kindergarten inorder to support voluntary all-day kindergarten, phased in through 2018, beginning withthe schools with the highest poverty levels (RCW 28A.150.315). In 2009 the legislaturerequired all school districts to increase kindergarten hours to a full-day program, to bephased in by 2018.

Basic education: The legislature created a Quality Education Council in 2009 to makerecommendations on the evolving definition of the basic education that the state hascommitted to provide.

Early learning and basic education: As part of the 2009 Basic Education bill, thelegislature would have established a program of early learning for at-risk childrenincluded in the definition of basic education (ESHB 2261). In May 2009 GovernorChristine Gregoire vetoed the early learning provision of the bill, but noted that she iscommitted to providing quality early learning programs for all children in the state.

Governors request for a bolder, broader early learning proposal: The Governor askedthe Director of DEL and the Superintendent of Public Instruction for a bolder, broaderproposal to ensure that all Washington children have the benefit of early childhoodeducation, and asked for recommendations by December 1, 2009. See Appendix A.

DEL-OSPI-Thrive by Five Washington joint resolution: In August 2009 DEL, OSPIand Thrive by Five Washington signed a joint resolution to work together toward acommon vision to create an aligned, seamless, learner-focused, world-class early learningsystem in Washington. See Appendix B.

Federal legislation: Congress is considering creating an Early Learning Challenge Fundgrant program, one of the purposes of which is to encourage states to integrateappropriate early learning and development standards across early learning settings (HR3221 Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009, Title IV Early LearningChallenge Fund, Sec. 401).

C. Context: Three Important Developments

Three developments frame the need for an early learning plan: demographic changes over thepast 40 years, advances in scientific understanding about childrens early development andlearning, and reports on the continuing gaps in student achievement along racial/ethnic andincome lines.

1. Social Changes

Women in the work force. The 1970s saw the start of a trend of women entering the work forceand continuing their careers even after they became mothers. In 1975, when the U.S. censusstarted tracking the number of working mothers, 47 percent of mothers with children under the

age of 18 were in the labor force. Today, their labor force participation has risen to 71 percent(Galinsky, Aumann & Bond, 2009, pp. 4-5). Two-wage-earner families and single, workingmothers have become the norm. Sixty percent of children under 6 years in Washington live ineither two-parent families with both parents employed or in single-parent families with theparent employed (U.S. Census, 2008).

This trend has led to an increased need for child care and after-school programs. Today,approximately 705,800 Washington children under age 13 live in a single-parent or two-parent


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home where the parent or parents are in the labor force (Washington State Child Care Resource& Referral Network, 2008). Finding child care that is affordable, convenient, matches theparents work hours and is of good quality can be difficult. In a recent statewide survey, nearlyhalf of parents using child care said it was very or fairly difficult to find an affordable program;and to find programs with space available (Thrive by Five Washington, 2008).

Many parents end up patching together child care arrangements. Nationwide, more than 20percent of children ages birth to 5 years are in more than one nonparental care arrangement eachweek (National Center for Education Statistics, 2006). A national study found that 29 percent ofemployed parents had experienced some kind of child care breakdown in the prior three months(Shellenback, 2004). This adds to the stress parents feel, and, along with the overload of workingand caring for the children and household, interferes with good parenting (Carnegie Task Forceon Meeting the Needs of Young Children, 1994).

As a result, many children now spend time in a wider variety of settings in their earliest yearsthan was common in years past. This can pose a challenge for early learning professionals and

schools to meet each child where he or she is and provide continuity of learning.

Growing diversity. Washingtons population also is becoming more diverse. In 2000, all peopleof color viewed together represented one in five people in Washington. By 2030, one in threeWashington residents will be a person of color. The largest growing groups are the Asian andPacific Islander, and the Hispanic populations. But the most rapidly growing racial group is thecategory called two or more races, which is projected to increase by 160 percent. The non-Hispanic white population tends to be quite a bit older than other racial and ethnic groups. This isbecause births and immigration of young adults play a large part in the growth of many racialand ethnic communities. The number of children (0 to 17 years) is expected to increase by 29percent between 2000 and 2030. Approximately 81 percent of that increase will be amongchildren of color (Office of Financial Management, 2006).

The majority of immigrants to our state are young adults in their child-bearing years. More than90 percent of recent immigrants come from non-English-speaking countries. As a result, schooldistricts have added or expanded their programs for English language learners (OSPI, 2008).

2. New Understandings from Research

Early development. A major report from the National Research Council in 2000, From Neuronsto Neighborhoods, summarized current scientific understanding of early childhood development.Among the key findings are:

Development of the brain is the most intense from birth to age 3 years.

The brain builds itself in response to the childs experiences. Brain circuits that the childuses in daily life are strengthened. Those that the child doesnt use fade away. The nurturing a child receives and responsive relationships with parents and caregivers

help to build the childs brain structure. Good parent-child relationships are a crucialfoundation for the childs learning, behavior and health.

A child that experiences extreme poverty, abuse, chronic neglect, severe maternaldepression, substance abuse or family violence will be in a state of toxic stress thatdisrupts brain growth.


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Brain circuits stabilize with age. It is possible to build connections and to adapt later, butit is more difficult and expensive.

(Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; 2005; National Research Council, 2000; Shonkoff, 2006)

Risk factors. Researchers have also identified the factors that put young childrens well-being

and learning at risk. The key risk factors are: Poverty or low income Disparities because of race, ethnicity or language The education level of their parents, particularly their mother Having under- or unemployed parents Living in a single-parent household (Human Services Policy Center, 2003).

The risk factors that researchers see consistently in children who have poor learning and healthoutcomes are low income and low maternal education (Halle, Forry, Hair, Perper, et al., 2009).

Moreover, children with these risk factors start showing poor outcomes as early as 9 months ofage. By 24 months, the gap is widening between children with these risk factors and children

who dont face these risks. These disparities show up across the board in childrensdevelopmentin cognition, social skills, behavior and health. Whats worse, the more riskfactors a child has, the bigger the roadblock to his or her development (Halle, Forry, Hair,Perper, et al., 2009).

Children in families with two or more risk factors are more likely to experience the followingproblems:

Challenging family environment, including:o Stressful family environment, abuse /and/or neglect;o Poor or no parent-child bonding, which researchers have found to be a

fundamental need for childrens learning;

o Low knowledge of parents and caregivers about childrens cognitive, social andemotional development and how to support that development;

o Poor mental health of parent or caregiver; ando Socially isolated parents/caregivers.

Developmental challenges, including:o Delayed language development;o Disabilities and/or poor health; ando Poor nutrition.

Challenging social conditions, including:o Poverty and under- or unemployed parents;o Low-quality child care;

o Stressful neighborhood living conditions; ando Under-resourced schools;

(Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 2005)

Effect on school readiness. Researchers have found that having two or more risk factors doesntjust block a childs path to success, but turns it into a downward spiral. Children with several riskfactors are less likely to be ready for kindergarten than their peers. Children who are not readyfor kindergarten often have trouble succeeding in school. Those who do poorly in school are


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more likely to need to repeat classes, need special education, drop out of school, become teenparents, and get into trouble with the law. As adults, drop-outs have trouble making a livingwage, and are at risk of poverty and homelessness (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 2005;Isaacs, 2008).

Families, communities and schools. Parents efforts alone cannot surmount all these challenges.Social science researchers have found that for young children to succeed in school, their parentsand families plus schools and communities all need to join together to support both childrensearly learning and the schools readiness for children. Families are better able to raise theirchildren when they have a supportive social network outside the immediate family, and live in aneighborhood where they feel safe. Other important supports that communities provide includehealth care, a system to assess childrens healthy development and early interventions fordevelopmental challenges (Carnegie Task Force on Meeting the Needs of Young Children,1994).

Ready schools are prepared to support the learning and development of every child in their

communities. The National Education Goals Panel (1998) described ways that schools preparefor children. Among these are working with parents and early learning programs to smooth thechilds transition into school, and respecting the childs and familys culture and language.Ready schools also are prepared to help children with disabilities to participate fully in the life ofthe classroom and the school.

Continuity of learning from birth through third grade. Finally, child development andeducation researchers have found that it is crucial to maintain the gains from high-quality earlylearning through third grade and to form stronger relationships across all early learning settings.Studies have shown that kindergarten through third grade are the critical years for building thefundamental learning skills that children need in order to be successful in the rest of their schoolcareer. Researchers cite the importance of building strong connections between early learningproviders and schools, in order to help children make a seamless transition into kindergarten.They also note the importance of a smooth transition between kindergarten and first grade, andfor alignment of learning in first through third grades (Education Commission of the States,2008).

In short, early learning in the whole period from birth through third grade should be aligned andsupported. Aligning learning throughout these crucial early years will assure that each learningopportunity builds on what came before and prepares children for what they will be learning asthey move ahead through school.

3. The Preparation and Achievement Gaps

Many children are struggling to do well in school. As noted, children who face multiple riskfactors are likely to be unprepared for school. This sets up a gap between children who have hadthe experiences and gained the skills they need to be prepared for school and those who have not.Studies comparing children who have had high-quality early learning experiences with theirpeers who have not have found that this preparation gap tends to continue through school as agap in achievement between different groups of children (Isaacs, 2008, Schweinhart, 2005).


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Review of standardized tests nationwide has, for some years, found gaps between the scores ofAfrican American, Latino and Native American students and those of their white and Asiancounterparts, and between students from low-income families and those from middle and higherincome families (Center on Education Policy, 2009). In Washington, scores on the WashingtonAssessment of Student Learning (WASL) test have shown differences by racial and ethnic

categories, with children of color tending to score lower than their white counterparts. See theWashington State Report Card on OSPIs Web site,http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/summary.aspx?year=2008-09.

Advisory committees in Washington have recently presented reports to the legislature on theachievement gaps for African American students (OSPI, 2008), Asian American students (Huneand Takeuchi, 2008), Latino students (Contreras and Stritikus, 2008), Native American students(The People, 2008), and Pacific Islander students (Takeuchi and Hune, 2008).

Several of these reports note that not only do the children and their families of these communitieslack access to early learning programs in our state, but they also bear the brunt of the tremendous

variation in the quality of preschool services available, especially for bilingual and biculturalchildren (for example, see Contreras and Stritikus, 2008, p. 22). This uneven footing at thepreschool level then leads to problems in achievement in elementary school. These reports eitherinclude a recommendation that all their families be offered high-quality early learning programsand/or a recommendation for a seamless preschool through college education system. Inaddition, the report for Native American students cautions that the achievement gap paradigmitself has a bias: Using European Americans and European American standards as the normmeans that other racial minority groups are left in the category as deficient unless they complyand are proficient with European American cultural competencies . . . . Even how one definessuccess and achievement is based on a cultures value system (The People, 2008, p. 12).

D. Brief Timeline of Early Learning in WashingtonInterest in and a commitment to early learning are not new in our state. The following timelinehighlights some of the important events.

1893: The state normal schools (teachers colleges) began early childhood educationclasses in, only four years after Washington became a state.

1965: The first Head Start programs opened in Washington in, when this locallyadministered federal program began.

1970s: The Washington State Legislature defined basic education as including part-daykindergarten. The legislature also created the Educational Service Districts to provide toschool districts and state-approved private schools support and educational services,which include early childhood and family support programs. Also in the 1970s, the

Washington Association for the Education of Young Children was formed. 1982: Washington Council for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (WCPCAN,

now the Council for Children and Families Washington) was formed.

1985: The Washington State Legislature approved a planning grant of $30,000 to start theEarly Care and Education Assistance Program (ECEAP), which is Washingtons state-funded preschool, with support of the Washington Business Roundtable.

1987: ECEAP served 1,000 children with a $3 million budget. 1989: The statewide Child Care Resource and Referral Network was formed.
http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/summary.aspx?year=2008-09http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/summary.aspx?year=2008-09http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/summary.aspx?year=2008-09


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1980s: Service Employees International Union (SEIU) became the first child care guildin Washington.

1994: The federal Early Head Start program began. 1996: Washington created a state registry to track the training hours of licensed child care

providers and approve classes (State Training and Registry System [STARS]).

1998: Governor Locke created the Governors Commission on Early Learning to focuspublic attention on the learning of Washingtons youngest children. It created a statewide,public engagement campaign about the importance of early brain development, andestablished a nonprofit foundation, the Foundation for Early Learning.

2005: The Kids Matter Framework, an outcome-based early childhood systems buildingframework was created and began to be implemented in communities across the state.

2006: The state Department of Early Learning was created; Thrive by Five Washingtonwas created; and the Washington Learns final report was published.

2000s: There has been an explosion of efforts by nonprofit and community organizationsand local governments to provide information, services and supports for families and toimprove early learning.

E. Current Picture

To address the early learning needs of Washingtons children and families requires a thoroughunderstanding of current demographics, the existing system of early care and education, andinformation about what parents and caregivers say they need. There is a great deal of data thathelps provide that picture. The following provides a summary.

1. Children and Families

Child population. Close to 90,000 children were born in Washington in 2008. Children aged 0to 9 years old now number 859,727. About equal numbers are in the 0 to 4 years and the 5 to 9years age groups. The state projects that by 2030 there will be 1.06 million children ages 0 to 9

years (Office of Management and Budget, 2008). See the figure below.Figure 1. Washington Children, Ages 0 9 Years,

1970 to 2030 pro jected

0

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

1,000,000

1,200,000

1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030

Source: Office of Financial Management, 2008


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Race and ethnicity. The race/ethnicity for Washington children, birth through age 9 years, isshown in the chart below for 2000 and projected to 2030. The categories of Hispanic Origin andTwo or More Races show the most growth in the coming years.

Figure 2. Race/Ethnicity o f Washington Children, Ages 0 9 Years,2000 to 2030 pro jected

0

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

1,000,000

1,200,000

1,400,000

2000 2010 2020 2030

Hispanic Origin

Two or More Races

Asian and Pacific Islander

American Indian/ Alaska

Native

Black

White

Source: Office of Financial Management, 2008

Language. Eight percent of public school K-12 students in 2008-09 were English languagelearners and were in transitional bilingual programs (OSPI, 2009). The percentage of Englishlanguage leaner students has more than doubled since 1990, but has hovered between 8 percent

and 9 percent since 2004. More than half of these students are in kindergarten through thirdgrade, In 22 of the states 295 school districts, English language learners are a quarter or more ofthe student population.

The English language learner students speak a total of 204 different languages. Spanish is theprimary language of two-thirds of English language learners. The other top languages areRussian, Vietnamese, Ukrainian, Somali, Korean and Tagalog.

English language learners are not distributed evenly across the state, however. The largestconcentrations are in the Puget Sound area (37 percent of the English language learners), theYakima Valley (15 percent), the northwestern part of the state (14 percent), and the Tri-Cities(13 percent). In the western part of the state, more language groups are represented, with districtsserving speakers of 20 or more languages. In the central and eastern regions, the majority of theEnglish language learners speak Spanish (OSPI, 2008).

Families and poverty. More than 20 percent of Washington children birth through third gradelive in single-parent families (U.S. Census, 2008). Unmarried mothers in our state now accountfor 33 percent of all births. By comparison, this share of births was 3 percent in 1960 and 24percent in 1990 (Office of Financial Management, 2008).


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Roughly 17 percent of children birth through third grade are living in poverty (Kids Count, 2009;WSCCR&RN, 2008). However, 33 percent of single mothers with children under age 18 livebelow poverty. This is significantly higher than the overall statewide poverty rate of 11 percent.(U.S. Census, 2008). Forty percent of all public school children in Washington are in the free

and reduced price lunch program for low-income families (OSPI, 2009).

Forty-seven percent of babies born in Washington are born on Medicaid (Department of Socialand Health Services [DSHS], 2007). Eighteen percent of children under 18 years live inhouseholds receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI), cash public assistance income orfood stamps (U.S. Census, 2008). Monthly, an average of 50,118 families with children under 18years received income assistance (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families [TANF] and Aid toFamilies with Dependent Children [AFDC]) in 2008. More than 9 percent of infants were inTANF households in fiscal year 2008. The number of children receiving state-subsidized childcare averaged 64,287 per month in 2007 (Office of Financial Management, 2008). In the publicK-12 schools, 40 percent of students were eligible to receive free or reduced price meals in 2008-

09, based on their family income (OSPI, 2009).

Health. The rate of infant mortality (children who died before reaching their first birthday) is 5.1per 1,000 live births (3-year average for 2004-06). Just over 6 percent of babies born each yearhave low birth weight. Low birth weight is associated with a variety of later health problems. Forevery thousand teenaged young women, 53 become pregnant each year (Kids Count, 2009).

State data indicate that 14 percent of all children have special health care needs. The threeleading diagnostic categories among children served in the states special health care needsprogram are: developmental delay and mental retardation, congenital anomalies and perinatalconditions. The three largest categories for children in special education services are: specificlearning disabilities, health impairments and communication disorders (Washington State Dept.of Health, 2005). In the public K-12 schools, 13 percent of students were in special educationprograms in 2008-09 (OSPI, 2009).

Forty-four percent of children under 18 years are in the medical assistance program of the stateDepartment of Social and Health Services (DSHS), 2 percent in the mental health program, and 1percent in developmental disabilities program (Washington State Dept. of Health, 2005). Thestates Apple Health for Kids program for low-income families covers preventive care, such aswell-care visits, and dental care for children, as well as major medical. DSHS estimates that upto 75,000 Washington children still are uninsured, even though many of them are eligible forApple Health for Kids (DSHS, 2009).

The data on the health status of children and children in poverty suggest that there are a greatmany children in Washington who carry the burden of one or more risk factors that make it verydifficult to be prepared for, and to succeed in school.

Risk profile. As noted earlier, children who experience multiple risks are less likely to be readyfor kindergarten or successful in school. In a study of 2000 Census data, Washington Kids Countfound that one in 10 Washington children experiences multiple risks. For Hispanic, African


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American and American Indian children, the stakes are even higher, with one in five childrenexperiencing three or more risks (Human Services Policy Center, 2003).

Analyzing individual risks, the researchers found that:

One-third of children 0 to 17 years live in low-income households.

One in five has no parent with full-time, year-round employment. One in 16 has parents with a disability affecting employment. Twenty-nine percent live in homes where neither parent or only one parent resided. One in nine has a mother with no high school degree. Two percent of children ages 5 to